Boxing Ledger's Archives

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Can you say "Fight of the Year"? Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez gave everything they had, and then some more, in front of a ecstatic crowd in Atlantic City, NJ. If you had to sum up this fight in a few words, you could say both fighters showed tremendous heart and courage, with Williams being the busier fighter and Martinez landing the harder shots.

From the opening bell, Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez fought at a rapid pace. Early in the 1st round, Martinez connected with a solid right hook, but Williams took the punch well. Then, Williams knocked Martinez down with a grazing straight left to the head. Martinez appeared to be slightly off-balanced as Williams landed the punch. After he got up, Martinez rocked Williams with a hard, straight left. Next, Martinez sent Williams down and into the ropes with a powerful right hook just as the 1st round was coming to an end.

Martinez continued to fight soundly in the 2nd round, stunning Williams again with a right hook off of his right jab. Martinez also connected with a left uppercut to the body. Williams was more aggressive in the 3rd round, hitting Martinez with right jabs and straight lefts. Martinez took the punches and fired back a right hook and straight left combination. After that, Williams struck Martinez with another straight left.

As the 4th round began, Williams was stunned again when Martinez hit him with consecutive straight lefts. Next, Williams landed a thunderous right hook to Martinez's head. Martinez took the shot and threw his right jab. Martinez snapped Williams' head back with a right hook-straight left combination. Williams showed a good chin and hit Martinez back with a straight left. Following that exchange, Williams hit Martinez with another vigorous left hand.

Williams landed a right hook-straight left combination to start the 5th round, but Martinez would counter back yet again. This time, Martinez connected with a violent straight left that stunned Williams. Somehow, Williams took another rock-solid punch from Martinez and came back with right hooks and straight lefts. The fight would continue at this pace through rounds 6 and 7. Moving into the 8th round, Williams landed a straight left, but Martinez started to attack the body frequently. He landed some fierce, straight lefts to Williams' right side. A right hook to the head sent Williams back.

Martinez continually hammered Williams with flush, straight lefts to the head and body in the 10th round. Williams was busy and kept coming forward, throwing his right jab. He landed a grueling right hook to Martinez's head. Martinez would start fast in the 11th, connecting with straight lefts and a right hook. Throughout the fight, Martinez hit Williams flush with the right hook. Williams never made an adjustment.

As the bell rang to begin the 12th round, Williams ran across the ring and fired a straight left. In close range, Martinez got in another straight left to the body. Subsequently, Williams came back again, connecting with a left uppercut and followed it with a right hook. Finally, Williams landed a straight left-right hook combination.

Julie Lederman scored the bout a draw at 114-114. Lynne Carter scored it 115-113 for Williams. Both of these scores were reasonable. However, Pierre Benoist scored the bout 119-110 for Williams. There is absolutely no possible way that anyone could rationally argue that Martinez only won one round. Was Pierre Benoist trying to make a mockery of boxing in this potential "fight of the year" match up? It taints Paul Williams' victory tonight. Julie Lederman resides in New York, while Pierre Benoist and Lynne Carter are from New Jersey.

This fight was very difficult to score. I thought Williams was busy and at times, forced the fight more. However, Martinez delivered the harder blows and landed the cleaner shots. Both men absorbed harsh punishment from each other throughout the 12 rounds. I scored it 116-115 for Martinez. I had rounds 1, 9 and 12 even. With the victory, Paul Williams improves his record to 38-1, 27 KO's. Martinez drops to 44-2-2, 24 KO's. Anyone want to see Williams-Martinez II in 2010?

Arreola KO's Minto In 4th Round

In a rugged toe-to-toe battle, Chris Arreola scored a 4th round knockout over Brian Minto. Both fighters were able to connect with many flush right hands throughout the bout. In the 1st round, Minto hit Arreola with a right hand that landed just over Arreola's jab. Arreola countered with an overhand right. At that moment, Minto nailed Arreola with a left hook-overhand right combination. Overall, Arreola utilized the jab better during the round.

Minto struck Arreola with a clean, right uppercut in the 2nd round. Arreola fired back with an overhand right. Minto was successful going to the body. Arreola connected with a hard left hook, but Minto showed he could take a solid punch. Then, Minto nailed Arreola with an overhand right. Arreola landed another right that caused swelling to appear under Minto's left eye when the round ended. Stay pretty with MMA headgear.

As he did in the 1st round, Arreola started to work his jab again. Early in the 3rd round, both guys connected with right hand shots. The action in the 4th round intensified when Arreola hammered and dropped Minto with a left hook-overhand right combination. Both guys were unleashing their shots at the same time, but Arreola's got to the target quicker. Minto got back to his feet and continued to fight hard. He landed a right, but Arreola hit him again with his right. Minto started to walk right into Arreola's overhand right, which is his best punch. Arreola put Minto down again with another left hook-right hand combination. This time, referee Eddie Cotton counted to ten and the fight was over.

Arreola bounced back nicely following his hard fought loss to Vitali Klitschko. Yesterday, Arreola weighed 263 lbs. If Arreola can control his weight issues better, he may be able to have more of an impact in the heavyweight division.

Chris Arreola improves his record to 28-1, 25 KO's. Brian Minto's record now stands at 34-3, 21 KO's.

Amir Khan knocked down Dimitriy Salita 3 times in the 1st round to retain his WBA junior welterweight title. Khan first floored Salita with a left hook-overhand right combination 1o seconds into the fight. After trapping Salita in the corner, Khan dropped him again when he connected with a barrage of punches. With Salita's back against the ropes, Khan finished him with a hard left hook to the head. The official time of the stoppage was 1:16.

Amir Khan improves his record to 22-1, 16 KO's. Dimitriy Salita suffered his first professional loss and falls to 30-1-1, 16 KO's. In the Lightweight class at the 2004 Olympics, Khan captured a Silver Medal. It looks like Manny Pacquiao has one great sparring partner in Amir Khan, as he prepares for his potential fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. on March 13, 2010.

In SHOBOX's junior middleweight main event, Carson Jones (24-7-1, 15 KO's) knocked out previously undefeated Tyrone Brunson, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (21-1-1, 20 KO's), in the 3rd round. Brunson set a boxing record of 19 straight victories to start a professional career, in which he won them all by 1st round knockout. Jones was going to be Brunson's first big test as a professional and Brunson failed. Before the bout began and as they were about to touch gloves, Jones said to Brunson, "You fighting a real fighter tonight baby!"

Jones could not have been anymore correct with his pre-fight statement. However, Brunson started strong in round one and controlled the fight by employing his left jab. Jones did not throw many punches this round. Brunson clearly had the edge in hand speed and won the round easily by repeatedly firing his jab as he moved around the ring. In the 2nd round, Brunson continued to fight efficiently from a safe distance. He started to hit Jones with rights to the body. In the later part of the round, Brunson really fired often to the body. Brunson was trying to make Jones' lower his hands, with the hopes of landing some clean head shots. Next, after attacking Jones' body further, Brunson landed a stinging overhand right. Jones threw more punches than the previous round, but did not land anything solid.

After Brunson jabbed, he had a tendency to bring his hand back low. In the 3rd round, Jones made him pay for it when he connected with a hard overhand right-left hook combination to Brunson's jaw that floored him. It was the first time in his professional career that Brunson was knocked down. Brunson was badly hurt and Jones knew it. He went for the knockout after Brunson got back on his feet. Jones chased Brunson around the ring, throwing left hooks and overhand rights as he moved along the ropes. Then, Jones nailed Brunson with a sharp right uppercut. Brunson was stunned yet again. With his gloves held high and his back against the ropes, Brunson was hit with a barrage of punches from Jones and had no answer for them. Jones seriously hurt Brunson when he landed a right to the body and followed it up with a left hook to the head. Jones just kept unleashing punishing rights and lefts to Brunson's body and head, until the referee stopped the fight.

Anchondo Wins Controversial Split Decision

Also, in a welterweight bout, Mike Anchondo gave Mauricio Herrera his first lost as a professional when he won an 8 round split decision. This victory did not come without controversy. The official judges scored the bout 79-73 for Herrera, but 77-75 twice for Anchondo. Herrera appeared to land the cleaner punches in the fight. I had the fight scored 78-74 for Herrera.

Herrera was effective in the first round because he established his jab and landed many punches off of it. Anchondo had a tough time getting in close range without utilizing his jab. Anchondo did hit Herrera in the body with some solid punches. In the 2nd round, both fighters unleashed some heavy punches at each other. Herrera connected nicely with a solid right in close quarters. Then, Herrera hit Anchondo with a left hook and landed some crisp combinations behind the jab.

Anchondo could take a clean punch well, but he got hit a lot after he delivered his punches. Anchondo leaned forward with his head too much as he pressured a moving Herrera. In the 3rd round, Herrera repeatedly connected with flush right hands to Anchondo's head. Anchondo landed a hard left hook to the body, but he stayed in front of Herrera too long. Herrera tagged Anchondo with an inside left uppercut and followed it with another right hand. Herrera continued to beat Anchondo to the punch in the 4th and 5th rounds. In the beginning, Anchondo was forcing the action. Now, Herrera dictated the pace and unloaded many more punches.

Anchondo's punch output appeared to slow down in the 6th round. Herrera connected frequently with 3 or 4 punches at a time as he moved around the ring. Then, Anchondo landed his best punch of the fight when he hit Herrera with a powerful left hook that may have broke Herrera's nose. Herrera was bleeding and Anchondo attacked him with an overhand right and left hook to the body.

Anchondo hit Herrera with a right uppercut in round seven, but was still getting hit too often because he was putting on pressure, and not using a jab to work his way into close range. The 8th round contained non-stop action. First, Anchondo fought back aggressively subsequent to taking a solid right on the chin. Anchondo attacked Herrera's body, while Herrera continued to land head shots. Just as the bell rang to end the fight, Herrera took a solid punch from Anchondo on the chin.

Afterward, Herrera's face appeared very damaged, but Anchondo took a lot more punches from Herrera and they were effective shots too. Anchondo possessed a quality body attack and may have been able to inflict additional damage, if he would have worked behind the jab better. Mike Anchondo improves to (30-2, 19 KO's) and Mauricio Herrera falls to (13-1, 6 KO's).

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

At 44 years old, Bernard Hopkins can still dish out a beating. Tonight, Hopkins won a 12 round unanimous decision against Enrique Ornelas, who had previously been a sparring partner to the living legend not too long ago. The official judges scored the bout 118-110, 120-109 and 119-109. I had it scored 119-109 for Hopkins.

Hopkins started at a slow pace, but finished the fight very strong. In the 1st round, Hopkins showed a skilled defense as he slipped many of Ornelas' shots. The crafty veteran was successful in making Ornelas come to him, so he could land quick, clean shots. At the end of round 2, Ornelas caught Hopkins with a solid left hook, but Hopkins, as he has showed his whole career, can take a solid punch and took it well. Both fighters picked up the pace in the 3rd round when they were exchanging and landing clean punches in close quarters. Hopkins was doing a lot of holding and hitting.

Ornelas was more aggressive in the 4th round, but Hopkins had a strong 5th round. He caught Ornelas with a flush left hook. Then, Hopkins hammered Ornelas with a big right when Ornelas rushed toward him. Hopkins delivered his counter punches quicker as each round passed. Ornelas connected with a right in round 6, but Hopkins beat Ornelas with speedy counter punches for most of the round. Hopkins was very accurate placing his shots in the 7th round, and momentarily hurt Ornelas when he connected with a right to the head. Hopkins started to beat Ornelas to the punch much faster and more precisely than in the previous rounds. Hopkins snapped Ornelas' head back in the 8th round with series of right crosses and right uppercuts.

Ornelas became frustrated because he was having difficulty landing his punches in succession. Hopkins' superior athletic ability was not helping him. In the 11th round, Hopkins nailed Ornelas with a sequence of right hand leads. Ornelas had no answer for them. Hopkins was landing perfect counter punches and fighting very smart in spots. In the 12th round, it seemed as if Hopkins was headed to a unanimous decision victory. You would expect Hopkins to box, right? No, Hopkins started to attack and go for the knockout. He landed a series of body shots and connected with a sharp right uppercut. Ornelas could not match Hopkins' hand speed in the exchanges.

Hopkins stays one step ahead of his opponents. He creates his offensive output by illusions. Hopkins' opponents think they are in a range to counter him or to land their punches, but never really are that close to landing multiple punches in a series. He's out thinking them the whole time as Ornelas found out. Hopkins will sometimes tie his opponent up, hit them in close quarters or throw right hand leads and connect from a surprising distance. He also baits the opposition in by using a lot of head and shoulder feints. Hopkins uses his jab more for a range finder than to hurt opponents. For instance, Hopkins lets Ornelas chase him around the ring. Ornelas starts to move where Hopkins wants him to go without realizing it. Then, Ornelas gets frustrated when he cannot land clean punches. Finally, Hopkins starts to inflict damaging blows.

Hopkins was hoping to acquire a rematch with Roy Jones Jr., but Jones lost earlier today to Danny Green when he was stopped in the 1st round. However, Hopkins was optimistic a fight can still be made when he stated the following: "Roy Jones Jr. lost on his feet, not on his back. A knockout and TKO is totally different. It was a TKO and there were punches thrown. I've seen more of them miss than hit. It was more of a flurry...Let the man at least defend himself, when he's going down or basically quit."

What's next for Bernard Hopkins (50-5-1, 32 KO's), who turns 45 years old in January? Hopkins has other options besides a fight with Roy Jones Jr. He could fight undefeated super middleweight Lucian Bute, who is a big draw in Montreal and just defeated Librado Andrade by a 4th round knockout. Also, David Haye was mentioned because Hopkins has set a goal to win a heavyweight title in 2010. Haye captured the WBA belt from Nikolay Valuev in November. After the fight tonight, Hopkins also went onto say, "I am going to be the heavyweight champion of the world in 2010." Tomasz Adamek presents another possible big pay day for Hopkins because he can sell out the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ with his Polish fanbase. With Hopkins hailing from Philadelphia and Adamek now training in Jersey City, NJ, after moving to the states from Poland and recently moving up to the heavyweight division, this fight would be intriguing as well. Finally, there's undefeated light heavyweight Chad Dawson. He presents a big challenge to Hopkins because he is in his prime, possesses great hand speed and is a southpaw.

Garcia KO's Colin

Danny "Swift" Garcia improves his record to (15-0, 10 KO's) with a sensational 2nd round knockout over Mexico's Enrique Colin (23-5-3, 19 KO's). Colin's size appeared to make Garcia a little tentative to throw early in the 1st round. However, in the final seconds of round 1, a left hook-right hand combination by Garcia floored Colin. Colin was able to make it out of the round. In round 2, Garcia stunned Colin with a big right. Colin was hurt and Garcia sensed it. Garcia feinted with his left and fired another huge right hand that dropped Colin again. This time, Colin could not get back to his feet. Garcia, a 21 year old from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, defeated a tough veteran and is quickly moving through the ranks in the junior welterweight division.

De Leon Defeats Wilson

In a 4 round featherweight match, 30 year old Guadalupe De Leon (8-9, 4 KO's) defeated previously unbeaten Derrick Wilson (5-1-1, 2 KO's) by a split decision. All 3 judges scored the bout 39-37, two of them in favor of De Leon. Prior to his victory over Wilson, De Leon had lost 7 consecutive fights.

Green Upsets Jones

Once upon a time, Roy Jones Jr. was the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Now, he is seriously endangering his health if he continues boxing. It what was supposed to be a tune-up bout before engaging in a potential rematch with Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr. was knocked out in the 1st round by Australia's Danny Green (28-3, 25 KO's). Green nailed Jones with an overhand right that dropped the former 4 division world champ. Jones rose to his feet, but was in a daze. Green pounded a stunned Jones with a barrage of punches until the referee stopped the bout. Green retained his IBO cruiserweight title and has now won his last 7 bouts. The official time of the stoppage was 2:02.

After accumulating an impressive career record of 49-1, 38 KO's, (only loss coming by disqualification to Montell Griffin and was avenged with a 1st round knockout) Roy Jones Jr. is 5-5 in his last 10 bouts, with 3 of the losses coming by knockout. Jones' overall career record now stands at (54-6, 40 KO's). In 2004, Glen Johnson kayoed Jones in the 9th round with an overhand right that looked eerily similar to the punch Green landed. Both punches hit Jones on the top of his head. Jones also lost a one-sided decision to Joe Calzaghe in 2008, but won two consecutive fights prior to facing Green.

It is very difficult for an athlete to admit when his or her career has come to end. It is even harder for a fighter to walk away from the sport of boxing, especially when you dominated the competition for years. All boxers are full of courage, heart and pride. Some fighters possess and exhibit these traits more than others. It is always much harder for the great ones to call an end to their careers. In his prime, Roy Jones Jr. was magnificent. He possessed blazing hand speed, solid punching power and was so quick, accomplished fighters had a lot of trouble countering him. In the past, a fighter would be lucky to hit Jones with one solid punch or even win a round against him. Jones always fought intelligent fights. At 40 years old, let's hope Jones makes another intelligent decision and chooses to hang up his gloves.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

In Showtime's lightweight main event, Martin Honorio (27-4-1, 14 KO's) scored a 10 round unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten John Molina Jr. (18-1, 14 KO's). Entering the fight, Molina had knocked down the opposition 26 times in 15 of his 18 fights. Also, Molina knocked out 6 of his opponents in the 1st round and 5 in the 2nd round. However, Honorio proved to be too technically sound for a one-dimensional Molina. Honorio's other notable victories have come against Cristobal Cruz, Steven Luevano and Rogers Mtagwa. Honorio has made a nice comeback after suffering a 1st round technical knockout loss against Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero.

Honorio started the bout strong in the 1st round by popping Molina's head back with a stiff left jab. Honorio attacked Molina's body with a series of left hooks. Molina nailed Honorio with an overhand right. Honorio had an edge in hand speed. Molina was clearly the harder puncher, but had trouble getting his punches off throughout the bout. Honorio landed the cleaner punches in the round.

Honorio continued to score with the jab and his lateral movement was giving Molina problems. Molina's defense is not that good and he was an easy target for Honorio. Honorio landed a series of left hooks and repeatedly beat Molina to the punch. Molina hit Honorio with a hard overhand right as the 2nd round ended.

In the 3rd round, Honorio started to land combinations to the body and head. Molina was constantly a stationary target, getting hit with Honorio's jab. Honorio had a reach advantage and it was tough for Molina to get into close range. However, Molina needed to jab more to help his cause. Without the use of an effective jab, Molina was getting hammered with rights and lefts to the body.

Honorio was the busier fighter as the fight moved into the 4th round. Molina was not letting his hands go enough. He did land a right uppercut, but Honorio countered with a flurry of punches. Both fighters exchanged left hooks. Molina got tagged with an overhand right, but fired back. Molina's punching power was evident when they traded in close quarters. Honorio still landed more shots in the round, but Molina was getting closer to inflicting more damage. Train your hands with boxing gloves by Everlast and Ringside.

As the fight got to the midway point in the 5th round, Molina snapped Honorio's head back with a left. Honorio countered with a straight right. Honorio threw a combination to the body and head that ended with him landing a sharp, accurate left hook. Molina landed his best combination of the fight when he hit Honorio with a left uppercut, left hook and wide right that momentarily stunned him.

Molina's best round may have been the 6th. He landed consecutive overhand rights before Honorio hit him with some left hooks to the body. An accidental clash of heads left Honorio with a hairline cut and Molina suffered a cut above his left eye. Honorio's face started to show some bruising. Honorio ripped some body shots, while Molina jabbed and followed it with an overhand right.

Before his fight with Honorio, Molina had never entered the 7th round. Honorio forced Molina back as he connected with a series of body shots and then fired punches at Molina's head. As the bout entered the 8th round, Honorio persistently kept beating Molina to the punch. Molina took some vicious punishment to the body this round. Honorio's movement was effective. Molina simply could not catch the better boxer. Honorio landed a series of lefts and rights to Molina's face. A straight right-left uppercut combination forced Molina's head back.

In the 9th round, Honorio repeatedly moved in and out unleashing a body assault on Molina. Molina was not able to adapt his style to be effective. As both fighters entered the 10th and final round, it was the same story. Honorio moved inside and out, continuously scoring with body punching. Both fighters threw some thunderous punches. Molina did land a big left hook. Honorio was going for a knockout in a fight he appeared to have won, if it went to the scorecards. Honorio showed a little tiredness and Molina was able to connect with a right. Honorio did not take a step back, but he did not score a knockout. The official ringside judges scored the bout 99-91 and 98-92 twice in favor of Martin Honorio. I had the fight scored 99-91 in favor of Honorio as well.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Alejandro Perez put the pressure on Rico Ramos early, scoring with body punches and left hooks in the 1st round. Ramos tried to find his range with the jab and landed some left hooks and overhand rights to Perez's head. Perez was assertive, but not reckless throwing his punches. He placed his shots well in this round and landed better combinations.

In the 2nd round, Perez continued to successfully apply pressure on Ramos. He landed hard combinations to Ramos' body. Ramos countered with some combination punching of his own. When Perez got into range, Ramos would flurry with left hooks and right hands. Then, Ramos moved and tried to fight from the outside, to control distance with his jab. Perez continued to stay on top of him. Toward the end of the round, Ramos was being attacked by Perez. Perez threw an overhand right as Ramos was trapped in the corner. Ramos fired a short, quick right to the head that Perez never saw and it dropped him to the canvas.

Ramos was being forced again to counter in the 3rd round due to the relentless assault of Perez. In the first minute, Ramos rocked Perez with some brutal left hooks and rights to the head. Ramos clearly showed the edge in hand speed. Perez was getting blistered with effective counter punches from Ramos, but managed to stay on his feet.

Moving into the 4th round, Ramos seemed to find his range. Perez backed Ramos into a corner, but Ramos fought his way out. Perez trapped Ramos into another corner and was hitting him with rock-solid shots to the body. However, Ramos countered Perez with very sharp and accurate left uppercuts. As the round headed to a close, Ramos slowed the body attack of Perez by landing short left hooks to Perez's head.

The 5th round began with Perez absorbing punishing left hooks and right hands to his face. Perez took a sound punch, but he was starting to slow down. Then, Ramos landed consecutive left hooks to Perez's body. Perez was relentless, but was taking too many clean punches from Ramos.

Heading into the 6th round, Ramos had established control of the fight. Perez continued to absorb hard left hooks from Ramos as he charged forward. In the 7th round, Perez started fast and caught Ramos in the corner. Ramos moved out of the corner and staggered Perez with a big left hook. Ramos jumped on him, landing some more left hooks. Next, Ramos followed up with a series of rights and left uppercuts that landed precisely. Perez just kept getting beaten to the punch. The edge in hand speed was now becoming harder for Perez to overcome.

Finally, in the 8th round, Ramos continued to be a step quicker as he nailed Perez with an overhand right. All of the official judges scored the bout in favor of Rico Ramos. Scores were 78-73 and 80-71 twice. The 22 year old Ramos improved to 14-0, 8 KO's. Ramos has been boxing since he was 8 years old and made his pro debut back in March of 2008. Heading into the bout, Ramos held an edge in amateur experience with 130 fights to Perez's 33. Alejandro Perez falls to 14-2-1, 9 KO's. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand.

Lucian Bute had something to prove in his rematch with Librado Andrade. In their first encounter, Bute was controlling the fight until he got tired in the 12th round. With three seconds left in the bout, Bute backed into the corner and Andrade nailed him with a right hand. Bute dropped to the canvas, but rose back to his feet. While the referee was conducting the ten count, he momentarily stopped to signal Andrade to stay in a neutral corner. This gave Bute another moment to catch his breath. After the bout, there was controversy because Andrade's corner felt the referee should have continued the count without stopping. Many felt that if the referee did not hesitate, Andrade would have won by TKO. However, Bute did get up and there was no time for either fighter to throw another punch. Bute won via unanimous decision.

Tonight, Bute dominated and knocked out Andrade in the 4th round when he landed a brutal left to the midsection, after flooring him with a straight left to the face in the same round. Bute started fast by throwing the right jab and establishing his edge in hand speed. He hit Andrade with three clean, straight lefts off the jab in the 1st round. Andrade showed a durable chin when he took a right hook-straight left combination from Bute in the 3rd round. Andrade is known to take a solid punch very well, but that might not be the case anymore. In the 4th round, Andrade struck Bute with consecutive right uppercuts. Then, Andrade appeared to be ready to throw a punch when Bute stepped forward and dropped him with flush, straight left. Andrade got back to his feet, but it seemed as if his equilibrium was off. Andrade attempted to land a straight right to Bute's head when Bute countered with a punishing left that landed on Andrade's waistline. Andrade could not beat the ten count.

This was a very impressive performance for Lucian Bute. Many people felt this fight would go the distance because of their first encounter. Andrade is a very tough fighter, who likes to pressure opponents, while Bute likes to stay on the outside and fight. After dropping Andrade twice with two solid shots, you have to wonder why Lucian Bute was not included in Showtime's "Super Six" Tournament? Is he not one of the best at 168 lbs. in the world? With the victory, the 29 year old Bute improves to 25-0, 20 KO's. 31 year old Librado Andrade falls to 28-3, 21 KO's. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand.

Funeka Robbed Of A Decision Victory Against Guzman

On the undercard, Ali Funeka battled Joan Guzman (29-0-1, 17 KO's) to a 12 round majority draw. This was a bout that Funeka clearly should have won. In the opening round, Guzman came out firing lefts and rights to the body of the taller Funeka. Funeka was not really snapping his jab, rather he was pushing it out there. Guzman took full advantage of it by landing his overhand right. In the 3rd round, Guzman landed a solid overhand right to the body. Funeka picked up the pace and started to land some hard overhand rights off his jab. Funeka's jab gave Guzman a bloody nose.

Funeka was trying to keep the fight on the outside. In the 4th round, Guzman suffered a cut under his right eye after his head collided with Guzman. However, the referee ruled the cut resulted from a punch, which could have been a factor in the decision if the fight went to the scorecards early. Funeka's punches appeared much sharper in the 5th and 6th rounds. He peppered Guzman's face with the jab and connected with right hands following it. At this point, Guzman had minimal success going to the body.

Guzman was getting pushed back by Funeka's jab early in the 7th round. Funeka was comfortable utilizing the jab from a distance and Guzman had trouble getting his punches off. When Guzman got in close range, he was landing big body shots again, but not in combination.

The action picked up in the 8th round as Guzman imposed his will and was more aggressive. However, Guzman got rocked by a right hand from Funeka as he went to release his punch at the same time. With Funeka having the reach advantage, his punch got to the target quicker. Guzman survived the round, but on wobbly legs. Funeka dictated the pace of round 9 as he successfully employed his sharp, accurate jab again and landed right crosses off of it.

In the 10th round, Guzman fired punches without much steam on them. The crisp combination punching of Funeka really hurt Guzman. Funeka became more accurate with his left hook as each round passed. With a very bloody face, Guzman ate some flush right hands from Funeka in the 11th round. Guzman was frustrated and leaned on the ropes to try and trick Funeka into coming forward recklessly. When the fight got into the 12th round, Guzman continued to show his toughness by coming forward. Funeka met Guzman with his own aggression and repeatedly beat him to the punch with left hooks and right hands.

This bout was declared a 12 round majority draw. It was an absolute robbery. The official judges scored it 114-114 twice and 116-112 for Ali Funeka (30-2-3, 25 KO's). I had the fight scored 9 rounds to 3 or 117-111 for Ali Funeka. What more does a guy have to do to win a fight? Funeka beat Guzman to the punch, bloodied his face and controlled the pace at his range, for the majority of the bout. It is very sad the judges did not reward Funeka for the effort he put forth tonight. Save $10 on your subscription to SI.

Saturday, November 21, 2009

The first round of Showtime's "Super Six" Tournament has now been completed as Andre Ward (21-0, 13 KO's) defeated Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KO's) by an 11th round technical decision to capture the WBA Super Middleweight title. The official judges scored the bout 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Ward. With the victory, Ward acquired 2 points in the tournament. I scored the bout 99-91 for Ward.

Beginning in the 1st round, Ward dictated the pace of this fight using an effective left jab and lateral movement that kept Kessler from landing quality punches. Kessler was aggressive in the 2nd round as he charged forward with a strong left jab. However, Ward was too slick as he landed a clean left uppercut in close quarters and followed it with a hard overhand right. As the fight went into the 3rd round, Kessler did not throw his jab enough and Ward took full advantage of it. Ward threw a flurry, landing an overhand right after he fired the jab. Then, Ward landed a solid right and followed it with a crisp left hook that connected on Kessler's chin.

In the 4th round, Ward used the jab to set up his left hook. Kessler landed a left hook-overhand right combination. Ward countered by stinging Kessler with a sharp right cross. Next, Ward switched to a southpaw stance and nailed Kessler with a straight left. Kessler did well in the 5th round, scoring with left hooks and connecting with a right to the body that pushed Ward back. Ward was a little less aggressive this round, but scored early with a left hook and overhand right that caused swelling under Kessler's right eye.

Ward picked up the pace again in the 6th round. Kessler scored with a left hook. Ward lunged forward with his punches and then connected with another left uppercut in close range. His left jab started to force Kessler to move backward. Kessler appeared not to see Ward's punches coming at him as the fight moved into the 7th round. Ward landed a right cross and was controlling distance extremely well. Ward was successful going to the body with the left hook. Kessler fired a left hook back, but was met with another right cross from Ward.

Ward kept firing the jab in the 8th round and followed it with many right hand shots. He landed another left uppercut inside. Kessler really started to miss with his punches. After he missed with his shots, Ward landed a big right that forced Kessler back. Ward continued to beat Kessler to the punch as the fight went into the 9th round. Ward peppered Kessler's face with some more right-left combinations. Kessler caught Ward with a solid left hook, but suffered a cut over his left eye due to an accidental clash of heads.

By the 10th round, Kessler was really showing the effects of the punishment Ward was dishing out. Ward was nailing Kessler with very hard, accurate jabs, right crosses and left hooks. As Ward came forward, another clash of heads took place. Kessler now had cuts above both eyes and another cut on his right cheekbone. When Ward connected with a lead right hand in the 11th, referee Jack Reiss stopped the bout due to the cuts on Kessler's face. However, the bout went to the scorecards because Reiss ruled the cut resulted from the accidental clash of heads that transpired earlier in the bout.

In some people's minds, Andre Ward may now be the favorite to win the "Super Six" Tournament. I originally picked Ward to take a decision tonight, but I did not expect it to happen the way it did. His hand speed was too much for Kessler and may overwhelm his other opponents when he moves forward in the tournament. If Ward can control the range like he did tonight by utilizing his left jab and using his superior boxing ability, he probably will be too much for anyone in the "Super Six" to handle. Ward's next opponent will be Jermain Taylor, who has lost 4 of his last 5 bouts with 3 losses coming by knockout. Ward won a 2004 Olympic gold medal in Athens, Greece in the Light Heavyweight division.

The point scoring system of the Super Middleweight Tournament is as follows:

Each fighter will have the opportunity to compete against one another in a series of scheduled twelve round bouts during the first three “Group Stages” of the tournament. There is also a point system in place:

A win is 2 points (with a 1-point bonus for a KO/TKO).

A draw is 1 point for each fighter. A loss equals 0 points.

The four highest point scorers will move on to the semifinal rounds, while the two fighters with the least point totals will be eliminated. The winners of the semifinal bouts will meet in the final round of the championship series in early 2011.

Stage 2 of the tournament will match Andre Dirrell against Arthur Abraham, Mikkel Kessler against Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor against Andre Ward.

At the moment, Arthur Abraham has acquired 3 points for his 12th round knockout victory over Jermain Taylor. Carl Froch has received 2 points for his 12 round split decision win over Andre Dirrell.

In Stage 3, Andre Dirrell will face Andre Ward, Carl Froch will take on Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor will battle against Mikkel Kessler.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Keys to the fight:(Kessler) Kessler needs to put enormous pressure and establish his left jab to keep Ward from dictating the pace of this fight with his skillful boxing ability. Ward has faster hands, but Kessler's hand speed is vastly underrated. Kessler has the edge in power and if he can impose his will successfully on Ward, he can defeat him. Kessler also has the edge in experience because he has fought better opposition such as Anthony Mundine, Eric Lucas, Markus Beyer, Librado Andrade and perhaps the best super middleweight of all time, Joe Calzaghe.

Keys to the fight:(Ward) Look for Ward to use angles and a lot of movement against Kessler. If Ward can use his boxing ability to keep Kessler turning and not set to punch, it will enable him to land accurate combinations. Kessler does not fight well backing up and he will be the aggressor. If Ward can execute a game plan of sticking and moving, he will take Kessler's strength away from him because Kessler will not be able to land his power shots. Ward's most notable opponents have been Jerson Ravelo and Edison Miranda. Ward doesn't possess the professional experience of Kessler, but is a very intelligent fighter, who has been getting better with each bout.

Prediction: I'm picking Andre Ward by a very close 12 round unanimous decision. Going into this bout, some say Kessler is the man to beat in the tournament. However, Kessler has trouble with fighters that give different angles and show good movement. For example, Kessler had trouble landing his power punches against Joe Calzaghe. Calzaghe boxed beautifully against Kessler and kept him from being set to punch. Although Calzaghe is a southpaw, Andre Ward shows similar boxing ability and movement. Ward is a smart fighter that is starting to peak now. If Joe Calzaghe can out box Kessler with his great movement, I say the 2004 Olympic Gold medalist can too! See the speed bag platforms at BoxingDepot.com

Sunday, November 15, 2009

If anyone did not consider Manny Pacquiao an all-time great before his bout with Miguel Cotto, they must consider him one now. Manny Pacquiao scored another impressive victory as he stopped hard hitting welterweight Miguel Cotto in the 12th round to win the WBO Welterweight Title. Pacquiao has now claimed a record 7th world title. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand.

The victory for Pacquiao did not come easy as Cotto landed some hard punches, but Pacquiao's relentless attack could not be stopped. In the 1st round, Cotto used his jab to push Pacquiao back. Cotto landed the cleaner shots as Pacquiao did not connect with any meaningful punches....yet. Pacquiao came on late in the 2nd round and landed a sharp left uppercut. Pacquiao moved in and out much better this round. Pacquiao scored a knockdown when he landed a flash right hook causing Cotto's right glove to touch the canvas. Cotto came back strong, but Pacquiao landed the sharper and cleaner punches in the round.

In the 4th round, Pacquaio dropped Cotto with a straight left that Cotto appeared to never see coming at him. Cotto came back to land some body shots with Pacquiao on the ropes, but Pacquiao was starting to inflict a lot of damage. However, Cotto landed the harder punches in round 5. A left hook stunned Pacquiao with 30 seconds to go in the round. Pacquiao answered in the 6th round by landing crisp punches to Cotto's face. Cotto could not counter as Pacquiao was not in range to be hit. Pacquiao continued to beat Cotto to the punch in rounds 7 and 8. Pacquiao blistered Cotto with punches, forcing him to retreat and try to box using the jab. It did not matter as Pacquiao was continually getting his punches off first. Pacquiao continued to press forward and was able to take Cotto's punches better in the later rounds.

Cotto was continuing with his best effort, but Manny's attack proved to be too strong. Cotto stepped up his punch output in the 10th round, but Manny went on the attack again in the 11th round. Finally, referee Kenny Bayless had seen enough as he stopped the fight in the 12th round when Manny landed another solid straight left hand.

What's next for the Filipino sensation? Hopefully, for all fight fans, a bout can be made against Floyd Mayweather Jr. It would be one of the biggest fights of all-time and would bring more popularity back to the sport. This is truly a match up of the 2 best fighters, pound-for-pound in the world. Mayweather's pure boxing ability against the relentless, whirlwind attack of the "Pac-Man". You could not ask for more if your a boxing fan. Who would odds makers open as the favorite in this showdown? It will be an extremely tough negotiation, but one can bet on this, there is too much money to be made for this fight not to happen in the very near future!

Monday, November 9, 2009

On November 14th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, Manny Pacquiao will face Miguel Cotto at a catch weight of 145 lbs., 2 lbs. under the welterweight limit. This fight should be an action packed slugfest from the opening bell. Pacquiao is coming off a sensational 2nd round knockout of Ricky Hatton and has won his last 10 bouts. Cotto has won his last 2 bouts after being stopped in the 11th round in a war with Antonio Margarito.

Miguel Cotto must keep Pacquiao from swarming him with his whirlwind punching attack if he is to be victorious. An effective jab can neutralize Pacquiao's speed. Cotto must impose his will on Pacquiao. He needs to throw his body shots off the jab and force Pacquiao to fight backing up. Pacquiao has been stopped twice in his career from body shots and Cotto is one of the best body punchers in the sport. He cannot move toward Pacquiao without the use of a jab because he will get blitzed with punches. If Cotto does not dictate this fight with his jab, he will not defeat Pacquiao.

SIZE ADVANTAGE

Will Cotto be able to use his size advantage effectively or will he be too drained making the 145 lb. weight limit when he is used to making 147 lbs? This depends on how in shape he is now, when he starts training and how close he keeps his weight to the 145 lb. limit during training without dehydrating himself. There may not be a weight issue for Cotto like many people believe.

SPEED, COMBINATION PUNCHING& BALANCE

Cotto has fought bigger, stronger and harder punching fighters than Pacquiao has in his career. Cotto started his professional career at 135 lbs., and as his record indicates, has done well suffering only one defeat and knocking out 77% of his opponents. In contrast, Manny Pacquiao started his career at 108 lbs. and has a knockout percentage of 69%. Cotto has shown that he can take a punch pretty well from bigger punchers. Can Manny hurt him? No matter how good a fighter is, if he keeps getting blistered with punches, he will falter. Has Cotto ever been in the ring with someone so quick? Probably not, and this is another important factor in determining the outcome of the fight.

Manny Pacquiao is a whirlwind puncher and lands his shots from all angles with lightning speed. Pacquiao moves in and out quickly and uses his jab as a range finder. Sometimes, he can be a little off balanced after he fires a combination, but Pacquiao's trainer Freddie Roach has drastically helped him improve his footwork.

Pacquiao is elusive and boxes better now than earlier in his career. Manny possesses good head movement and keeps fighters a little hesistant from throwing their shots, which enables him to land clean, effective punches. Cotto is slower, at times flat footed and looks to counter punch. It's hard to counter punch if you don't match your opponent's hand speed. That leaves Cotto with one option. His timing placing his punches must be perfect because Manny has the definitive edge in hand speed.

Pacquiao must make Cotto fight at a very fast pace. He needs to make Cotto use a lot of energy, especially with Cotto having to make the 145 lb. weight limit because he might be drained and tired if the fight gets into the later rounds. Pacquiao should not have a problem being dehydrated because he is the smaller man moving up in weight. Pacquiao needs to use his speed advantage against Cotto because he does not want to stand there and trade shots with the bigger puncher.

IN THE LATER ROUNDS

If this fight gets into the later rounds and Cotto is not dehydrated from making the 145 lb. weight limit, than he will have an advantage over Pacquiao. If Cotto presses forward at his pace and Pacquiao exerts more energy than he wants, than the advantage goes to the bigger man. Pacquiao looked tired in his two fights with Juan Manuel Marquez in the later rounds. Cotto probably will put more pressure on Pacquiao than Marquez did. However, Cotto is unlikely to counter punch Pacquiao as effectively as Marquez was able to do in both of their bouts. Marquez matches Pacquiao's hand speed better than Cotto because he is a more efficient counter puncher.

CONFIDENCE

Pacquiao comes into this fight extremely confident riding a 10 fight win streak. Cotto still looks like he doubts his abilities after losing to Antonio Margarito. In his last two fights, when Cotto has taken a clean punch, his body language suggests that he is having flashbacks to the war he fought with Margarito. He looks like he is re-evaluating the situation about whether he wants to engage. This showed more in Cotto's fight with Joshua Clottey than against Michael Jennings. However, Cotto came out victorious in both contests and hurt Clottey in the 6th round. In the later rounds against Clottey, as opposed to the Margarito fight, Cotto was resilient and fought back well enough to come away with a 12 round split decision victory. Now, this leaves the question: Is Cotto's confidence restored after coming away with the victory over Clottey? Will shades over the Margarito fight be a lingering cloud over Cotto? How will he react when Pacquiao lands a clean, effective punch? We'll see on November 14th, but Cotto does possess the punching power to take away Pacquiao's confidence with one punch. This will be the hardest puncher Pacquiao has ever faced.

STYLES

Being a southpaw, Manny Pacquiao presents a problem to Miguel Cotto. There are other factors stated above as how Pacquiao has some advantages too, but fighting from that stance may be too tough for Cotto to handle. The awkward angles Pacquiao throws his punches, along with his speed and balance, may keep Cotto off balanced all night and he may never get close to landing an effective punch.

Boxing's oldest saying is "Styles Make Fights". Boxing's next oldest slogan may be that "A good big man, will beat a good small man". I think the latter statement will come to be true on November 14th.

HOW I SEE THIS FIGHT PLAYING OUT?

In the early going, Miguel Cotto will press forward and Manny Pacquiao will box. Pacquiao will land many of his quick punches in combination, but Cotto will be resilient. Cotto will continue to impose his will on the smaller man. Pacquiao will exert a lot of energy boxing him and as a result, Cotto will get closer and land effective shots. In the middle rounds, I see Cotto and Pacquiao exchanging quality punches with Cotto landing the harder shots. Sorry Pacquiao fans, but I see Cotto stopping Pacquiao with a left hook to the body in the 8th round.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Heading into a rematch with Glen Johnson, Chad Dawson had many questions to answer to the boxing pundits. First, is he durable enough in the later rounds? Next, how would he look against Johnson, who has proved to be his toughest opponent to date? No, Dawson's toughest opponent was not Tomasz Adamek. Adamek may have been younger and in his prime when compared to Johnson, but Dawson had a rougher night against Johnson. No one questioned Dawson's 12 round unanimous decision victory over Adamek. Many fight fans thought that he lost the first encounter to Johnson due to Johnson's effective aggression and clean punching. That is what led to this rematch occurring. Lastly, can Dawson close the show impressively with a knockout? Stay pretty with MMA headgear.

Tonight, Dawson showed the mark of a maturing young fighter. Why did he show the mark of a maturing young fighter? Dawson dominated a tough veteran fighter, who gave him hell in their first fight in 2008. He thoroughly outclassed Glen Johnson in their rematch en route to a clear 12 round unanimous decision victory.

In the 1st round, Johnson came out aggressively throwing the jab. A southpaw, Dawson fired his right jab and followed it with straight lefts. Dawson started to attack Johnson's body with the straight left and immediately looked much more composed than in their first bout. Dawson found his range quickly and started to land some hard, accurate combinations. With Dawson having the clear edge in hand speed, Johnson was reluctant to trade at the pace he did with him previously. Also, Johnson did something he had not done in their first fight that really hurt him tonight. Johnson was firing his shots from too far away, which enabled Dawson to counter punch him easier.

In the 3rd round, Dawson was countering too quickly for the 40 year old veteran to answer. Johnson was getting beat to the punch by left uppercuts and vicious right hooks. Dawson was clearly into his rhythm by the 4th round as he nailed Johnson with his crisp combinations and was no where to be found when Johnson wanted to fire back.

Dawson was more willing to trade in the 5th round. He stopped moving as much, which led to Johnson getting closer and landing some effective rights to the head. Johnson was scoring for most of the 6th round, but Dawson started to take control again toward the end of the round and cruised from there.

Johnson was frustrated. One could see that age had taken a toll on him just as much as Dawson's much improved ring smarts. Dawson learned a lot since their first bout. He figured out how to stay away from exchanges with Johnson by dictating the pace of the fight from the outside by utilizing his right jab. Then, he would move in and land his combinations and get right back into his range where he was comfortably controlling the fight. Overall, Dawson showed that he was mentally sharper in this fight with Johnson.

From the 8th round on, Dawson continued to hammer Johnson with body shots, right hooks and straight lefts. Johnson was never endangered of being knocked down, but he was getting to a point where he was not competitive anymore.

Dawson's fights seems to have the same pattern. At times, he appears to have the talent to take out the opposition, but chooses to fight a more defensive fight. Dawson did not take the risk of trying to knockout Johnson. Perhaps, it was because he remembered the events that transpired from their previous meeting? Or maybe Dawson figured why engage in more exchanges when he is dictating the fight?

The following facts remain clear: Chad Dawson is an extremely talented fighter, who has improved with each fight mentally and physically. Dawson showed a great depth of acquired knowledge from his previous experiences in the ring. He was certainly controlling the fight and did not falter at all in the later rounds. Dawson finished the fight at the same pace he started. His combinations looked sharp and he appeared more sure of himself than he has in past fights.

Dawson might be the best in the light heavyweight division. He fought the most effective way for him to succeed. Who could fault him for doing that? Could he have been more aggressive and attempted to go for a knockout against Johnson? Maybe fans want him to go for the knockout more, myself included, but doesn't Chad have to do what's best for Chad and his career? After all, he got the results he was seeking. Well, he's obviously making the right decisions and sports an undefeated record that now stands at (29-0, 17 KO's) and has a variety of options ahead of him. Some possible future opponents include undefeated and hard hitting Tavoris Cloud (20-0, 18 KO's), Jean Pascal (24-1, 16 KO's) and ring legends Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KO's) and Roy Jones Jr. (54-5, 40 KO's) Hopkins and Jones may fight each other early next year if they both win their upcoming bouts on December 2nd. Dawson could face Hopkins or Jones in the middle or late part of 2010.

Alfredo Angulo KO's Harry Joe Yorgey in 3 rounds

Alfredo Angulo (17-1, 14 KO's) battered and destroyed a previously undefeated Harry Joe Yorgey (22-1-1, 10 KO's), scoring a brutal 3rd round knockout. Angulo started fast, landing overhand rights and applying a lot of pressure. He attacked Yorgey's body as he was against the ropes. In the 2nd round, Yorgey landed a solid right and left uppercut. Angulo continued to pressure Yorgey. Then, Angulo nailed Yorgey with a hard, solid right hand to the head that dropped him. Angulo chased Yorgey after he got up, landing a left hook to the body. Angulo connected again with an overhand right that wobbled Yorgey. Both exchanged a barrage of punches with Angulo landing the cleaner shots.

Unfortunately, Yorgey suffered a traumatic end in the 3rd round. A right hand from Angulo rocked Yorgey again. Then, Angulo landed a left hook to the head. Finally, Angulo hit Yorgey again with a flush left hook to the head that left Yorgey unconscious on the canvas. The referee or Yorgey's corner could have stopped this fight sooner. However, Yorgey was still throwing, but his punches were not having the same effect. Hang a punching bag without drilling with a heavy bag stand..

Sometimes a fighter's heart is bigger than his head. That's when a referee or especially a fighter's corner needs to take control. This clearly did not take place tonight. Yorgey was getting battered, but was too tough to quit. When Angulo moved in again and inflicted more damaging punches, the referee should have stepped in to halt the bout or Yorgey's corner men could have thrown in the towel before Angulo's destructive left hook knocked him out. One could see where this fight was going. Or maybe some could not? Angulo was coming on too strong for Yorgey to handle, but Yorgey had so much determination to keep fighting. A message to Yorgey's corner: "It's better to admit your losses, so one can come back to fight another day." Let's all hope Yorgey will recover quickly after suffering this devastating knockout.

Before I recap this fight, let me state how fights are scored: Clean punching, effective aggressiveness, ring generalship and defense with a strong emphasis on clean effective punching.

I scored this about against popular opinion. I had Valuev winning this fight 8 rounds to 4 or 116-112. Official judges scored the fight 114-114 and 116-112 twice for David Haye.

I was watching the same fight as everyone else and here's my round-by-round recap followed by an explanation as I still stand by my scoring in favor of Valuev.

Round 1: Valuev is imposing his will on Haye and firing his jab. Haye is not getting his punches off. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 2: Haye is moving and jabbing to the body. Valuev is not jabbing as much and Haye is getting in and out easier. (Scored for Haye 10-9)

Round 3: Haye lands an overhand right and followed it with a straight left jab. (Scored for Haye 10-9)

Round 4: Valuev trapped Haye in the corner momentarily and lands a left hook. Valuev lands an overhand right. Haye is fighting from a distance and lands an overhand right. Both fighters exchange left jabs. Valuev lands a right to the body. Valuev pushes Haye back with the jab.(Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 5: Valuev is aggressive firing the jab. Haye is not busy. Haye lands an overhand right. Valuev connects with an overhand right with Haye's back to the ropes. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 6: Valuev continues to impose his will; jabs as he comes forward. Valuev lands a left hook. He connects with a right to the body as Haye is cornered. Haye fires and lands a left hook. Haye is running. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 7: Valuev scores with a left hook. Valuev is chasing Haye back with his jab. Haye is not working the body. Valuev connects with an overhand right. Haye is not throwing. Valuev charges in, but Haye nails him with a big overhand right. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 8: Haye is feinting a lot, but not throwing. Valuev lands a left hook. Haye connected with another overhand right. Haye jabs, but Valuev dictating the pace of the bout. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 9: Haye is making Valuev miss, but Valuev continues to press forward. Haye lands a combination. Valuev jabs and comes forward. Valuev hits Haye with a left hook. Haye fires a jab to Valuev's body. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 10: Haye connects with a big left hook. Valuev is pressing forward, but Haye is making him miss with his punches. (Scored for Haye 10-9)

Round 11: Haye lands a clean overhand right. Valuev lands a jab followed by a right. Haye jabs to the body. Valuev jabs back. Valuev connects with a short left hook. Haye hits Valuev with an overhand right. (Scored for Valuev 10-9)

Round 12: Valuev is busy chasing Haye. Haye connects with a jab-left hook-overhand right combination. Valuev hits Haye in the body with a right. Haye connects with another overhand right. A left hook-overhand right combination by Haye stuns Valuev. (Scored for Haye 10-9)

Overall Summary: Okay, so here's my explanation on scoring this bout for Valuev. First, let's look at effective aggression. Clearly, that belongs to Valuev as he pressed forward the entire fight using his jab and dictating the pace.

Secondly, the edge in clean punching goes to David Haye. However, here's where I differ from many observers. While Haye landed the cleaner punches, I asked myself did Haye control at least 2 of the 3 minutes of every round? He definitely flurried and landed some quality shots, but does that alone win you the round? To me, the answer is no unless the clean punches are effective enough that they appear to really hurt the opponent. Valuev didn't seem fazed by Haye's punches as he continued to charge forward.

Next, who gets the edge in ring generalship? Haye did not appear to me as if he was out boxing Valuev, rather it looked like he was running from the pressure Valuev was bringing. Again, Haye was not scoring enough to say he was dictating this fight. I've seen fighters such as Muhammad Ali score frequently when fighting backwards and controlling rounds doing it. Haye was not that effective fighting backward. I gave the edge in ring generalship to Valuev. Valuev scored with his punches coming forward just as much as Haye moving backwards. Also, remember Leonard vs. Hagler? How did you score that fight? Did you score it for the guy flurrying or the guy bringing the fight?

Finally, I gave the edge in defense to Haye. He made Valuev miss with punches due to his boxing ability and his well timed feints. Valuev was there to be hit all night, but Haye could have taken more of an initiative to make this fight not appear close. He did not do so.

I now presented my case on why I thought Valuev won. What do you think?